EUGENE, Ore. — On Saturday, skaters and members of the Eugene Rotary Club will join forces to break ground on a new skate park at Washington Jefferson Park.

Before construction can begin on the 23,000-square foot facility, volunteers must remove a 40-year-old children’s play structure. The structure, made of solid wood, will be carefully dismantled and salvaged; some of the timbers will be re-purposed into a bike storage shelter at Highway 99 Shelter Care.

A contractor for the project will likely be selected in July; construction is expected to begin in August and will continue through the end of the year. Eugene Park Stewards says that when it’s finished, it will be the largest covered and lit public skate park in North America.

The groundbreaking starts at 10:30 a.m. and is expected to wrap up at noon.